Possession

Star Trek: The Next Generation #40

by J.M. Dillard, Kathleen O'Malley

Eighty years ago, bodiless entities brought a plague of violence and bloodshed to the planet Vulcan. The nightmare ended only when the entities were trapped inside special containers. Now, on the eve of a galaxy-scale scientific exposition, the containers have been opened, freeing the malevolent entities to possess the minds and bodies of all they encounter, including the crew of the "Starship Enterprise"(TM) . Friends turn into foes, and no one can be trusted as Captain Picard faces a deadly and insidious threat. Unless the entities can be stopped once more, they will spread their madness throughout the entire federation.

Genres: Star Trek, Science Fiction, Star Trek The Next Generation, Fiction, Ebooks, Media Tie In, Science Fiction Fantasy

282 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published May 1, 1996

About the author

J.M. Dillard is the pseudonym under which Jeanne Kalogridis (b. 1954) publishes her Star Trek novels.

Reviews

[Marian · Rating 5 out of 5]

Recommended for Star Trek lovers!

I read the edition in German (Wahnsinn) as a practise for my reading skills, so it was important that the choice of book be entertaining and sort of light to read.

The plot is original, high in suspense and well-paced, with the beloved characters of The Next Generation. There's no romance here, just plain old good science fiction and a story to keep you wholly entertained.

[Adam · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's true - the alien possession trope has been wheeled out one too many times in Star Trek, however the aptly titled Possession offers a fresh spin on the idea, combining just the right amount of suspense, action and emotion to keep me gripped.

While ferrying Federation scientists to the TechnoFair, the Enterprise succumbs to an alien invasion of the mind, as the crew is slowly taken over by mysterious malevolent entities who feed on violence.

What worked for me:
* I really enjoyed how the authors grounded the story in Vulcan's past - especially the earlier chapters which told our adversary Skel's tragic origin story.
* The gradual takeover of the ship was quite believable, and led to some truly creepy moments featuring our favorite protagonists-turned-bad (the scene with Dr. Crusher's attempted possession of Troi was particularly eerie)
* The ragtag crew of heroes (Data, Worf, Troi, Alexander and guest scientist Dannelke) kept me turning the pages in the book's coda. The authors' decision to set these scenes in random hard-to-access Jeffries tubes in the bowels of the ship made for a really fun read.

What didn't quite work:
* The Dannelke/Worf romance: somewhat unfulfilled romance-of-the-week here. There were some touching bits, including Dannelke bonding with Alexander, but this largely fizzled out as a B-plot.
* Strangely, I found myself getting annoyed with the implausibility of the aliens as the plot progressed. We're led to believe that these are undetectable by any scans, the size of subatomic particles, and artificially created. Yet somehow the transporter is able to lock onto them in the final act. Hmm. Perhaps the scientist in me is over-reading.

An enjoyable entry in TNG's numbered series - Recommended.

[Dallas · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is a moderate to light read, which helps pass the time without draining my brain power on trying to figure out what is going on with the story and the characters. My primary complaint about the writing is the dialogue from some of the characters seems atypical of their personalities. I have already drawn accustomed to their speaking styles from watching the television program in which the book is based upon. There were certain words and sentence structures from the book that do not quite match up to the same style that is written and delivered in the program. There are no other concerns other than the mismatched dialogue. The storyline was fun, exciting, and dramatic just like an episode pulled straight from the program. The plot was not convoluted with extraneous details that would comprehensively slow me down, because I was merely looking for a light summer read.

[Daniel Kukwa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I should rate this closer to 3.5 stars, as JM Dillard seem to have less confidence handling the TNG crew than she does with the TOS crew. But after the first few chapters, she and her co-author step up their game to deliver a solid sequel to several of her TOS novels. I'm rounding it up to a 4 star rating specifically for the fast pace, the constant intensity of the atmosphere on the usually sterile Enterprise-D, and the wonderful work with Worf & Alexander -- a pair of characters both authors capture with near perfection. I also appreciate the ominous possibility of another sequel, teased at the conclusion...

[Craig · Rating 2 out of 5]

I am not entirely sure why but this one felt like a chore to go through. I've always wanted a little more character thoughts before they make a decision but this seemed too overboard in that regard. I guess I wanted a little more action. This is the kind of story I was expecting with the Devil's Heart and did not get so it was good that it was here but not overly a fan of the book. Glad I'm done.

[Jennie Lanz · Rating 1 out of 5]

this book was absolutely horrid. I don't expect great literature from star trek books, but this one is a new level of bad. The characters were one-dimensional and didn't act like themselves at all. The storyline was predictable and inane.

[Richard Sampson · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is not one of the best that this series has had to offer, but it is not the worst either. It reads, and feels like a stand alone story, even though it is actually the sequel of a book in the Star Trek book franchise. That's a good thing, since you don't need to have read that book to follow the story here.

The story drags in some parts, but once things start happening, the story picks up. Ironically, I would have loved to see those parts expanded on. There is, however, one draw back to it. The writer sowed the seeds for a third story, and I don't think one was written, nor will it be written. Similar to what was done in the next to last episode of Next Generation, we are given a teaser that the antagonists of the story could be back. Now, the creatures from that Next Generation episode did end up coming back, in the Deep Space Nine books set after the end of that series, so we have to wonder if the same will happen with there things or not.

Over all, however, the book is a good read. Would I reread it? Hard to say.

[Cheryl · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rounding up to four stars because I literally could not put it down, and I usually despise horror. I just loved the solution to mystery of the Voice, too, even though I don't like mysteries. But I was genuinely worried about the characters, despite knowing, of course, that everything will be ok in the end.

I really like how Riker can't help trying to protect Troi, even though (as she notes) she is no damsel in distress. And how people figured out What was going on, just as you'd expect this stellar team to do, and it was still a problem to solve the How to end it. And Worf & Alexander had their screen time. Crusher's character was badly written, unfortunately, though. And Picard would have, I think, been a little more leery & careful. But those are minor quibbles. This is one of the more interesting episodes, imo, and gives me hope that the rest of the ones I have to work through are going to be worth reading, even though I'm getting sort of tired of them.

[Solitudes · Rating 3 out of 5]

Oh no, not another Star Trek Novel!
oh yeah, cause I am planning to read as many as I can in this lifetime :))))
And yes, yet another book set in the TNG Universe with another adventure of the U.S.S. Enterprise and her crew. This time a mysterious merciless and bodiless entity is determined to conquer the Federation and of course, our heroes are needed (like it or not) to save the day! Especially when no one can trust no one and you never know who's a friend or a foe.
So if you are a Trekkie, don't miss it because even if it is not a literary masterpiece the action and plot is quite good and it will provide several entertaining hours :)

[Doreen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have to say, Dillard is one of the better authors of TNG series. Thus far, this author has not failed in delivering the best TNG stories! Finished this within 200 minutes and I am so sorry when I am done with it!

[Ramona · Rating 4 out of 5]

An entity with no body has attacked the Enterprise crew in a very invasive way. The crew does their thing, as always, working together to solve the mystery, protect the crew and promote peace among the stars!

[Minimyzer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good story - characters were all consistent with what we know of them from the TV show. Could easily imagine this as a pretty good episode in TNG season 4 or 5. Vulcans losing control and possessed by alien entities -- all standard fare for an entertaining Star Trek read.

[Robert · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not that great a plot, but an extra star for good writing style

[Robert Kelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed this more than most Star Trek books. Less fluff or side stories. Stuck to the main plot.

[E · Rating 1 out of 5]

Sigh. Yuck. Just…yuck. It was actually good at first, and very Star-Treky…but the resolution was just…gross. Like…seriously. YUCK. Yuck, yuck, yuck. How disappointing. And gross.

Yuck.

[Sidney · Rating 4 out of 5]

Builds to a wild finale with some key crew members getting to shine. It’s an ultimately exciting excursion with twists and paranoia.

[Camille · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this fast-paced story.

[Lukáš Kocůn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Of course, it wasn't possible to write a raw horror story in which the crew of the Enterprise would turn into the equivalent of the crew of Event Horizon, but the harsh opening scene and a few hints gave me hope that this could happen. Unfortunately, the events on board did not escalate nearly as far as that, and the crisis was averted all too easily. This story lacks atmosphere and tension, which is a shame given the plot. Even so, it's a pity that we haven't seen the promised sequel.

[Judith Paterson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Better than average Star Trek Next Generation story. Good to see Alexander getting a positive role at last!

[Jessica Kordyban · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is phenomenal. From start to finish it kept my attention and wanting to read more.

[Weavre]

Just adding a few more Star Trek novels I found while working in the shed, so they're in my list here; that way, I can easily see which ones we don't have and bookmooch only titles we're missing. But to be honest, I don't remember any of these stories particularly well, and will have to post an actual review when and if I get around to re-reading them in the future.

[Sean Randall · Rating 3 out of 5]

An enjoyable enough story, light - not in terms of content, but scope. It really had the feel of a TNG episode, though things would have necessarily been shortened onscreen, the essential concept of the novel would have made a very good episode indeed. Characterisation goes far enough to fill the story though not too deep as you'd expect. Overall, a neat little entry into the saga.

[Jeremiah Murphy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved it; Possession is a nice piece of Trek-horror. At first, I have to admit, I was like: "Is this going to be one of those boring Star Trek novels about characters made up by the authors that I don't care about?" But it wasn't and the characters original to the novel were engaging nevertheless. A fun, fast paced, and engaging read. Make it so.

[K · Rating 5 out of 5]

Decent TNG book that deals with a foreign invader that the sensors cannot detect. While it was still a great book, it reminded me a few different episodes of TNG where similar events occurred. The authors did a great job at capturing the characters likeness. I would have liked to see a better closure to Worf's new friend. 4.5/5

[Benjamin Plume · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was a little thin...but it was good enough to make me go back and reread the novel whose events it picked up. Things here just didn't seem all that consistent with the Trek philosophy for some reason.

[Angela · Rating 3 out of 5]

An unusual type of story for the books. The Enterprise personnel are taken over by beings who feed on emotion. Most of the characters are like you would expect, and it could definately be a tv episode. A good story.

[Marcello Tarot · Rating 5 out of 5]

Il miglior romanzo di Star Trek che abbia mai letto!

Avvincente dall’inizio alla fine, privo di tempi morti, ogni singolo pezzo del puzzle si incastra armoniosamente con tutti gli altri.
Arrivi alla fine e vorresti già ricominciare a leggerlo dall'inizio.

[Heather Mac]

One of the first Trek books I ever read. It was awesome. 300+ Trek books later, I've enjoyed nearly all of them. :)

[Mikael Kuoppala · Rating 5 out of 5]

An old sci-fi story told well with nice characterization. Has a commendable sense of dread.

[Liz Logan · Rating 4 out of 5]

A reread. Not particularly well-written, but it's fun.